Four-wheel vehicle drive



May 15, 1944 R. l.. FARNswoRTH l 2,349,151

FOUR WHEEL VEHICLE DRIVE Filed Jan. 20, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 QQ Q mW.Q5

NN .ON

INVENTOR,

May 15, 1944- R. 1 FARNswoRTH FOUR WHEEL VEHICLE DRIVE Filed Jan. 20.1942 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN1/EN TOR, FeubealJJ/Zzrmswork May 16, 1944. R.l.. FARNswoRTH FOUR WHEEL VEHICLE DRIVE Filed Jan. 20, 1942 3Sheets-Sheet 3 IN VEN TOR Jeaenj' ArruRNzYs Patented May 1.6, 1944 UNITE-D STATES PATENT `GFF l CE `2,349,151 Fours-WHEEL VEHICLE. DRIVE-Iteulierrlh Farusworth, Hazel Park, Mich.

appliess-mn.January zo, 1942, serial-N0, 421-522 .5 Claims.

This inventionrelates toa four wheel' drive, and has for an object toprovide `a Afour Awheel drive, clutch "and brake "mechanism, and `steer`ing mechanism Yall completely `housed Ato Aprevent access of v:mud andwater, -the housings 'being adapted `to be -lled with lubricant so thatthe parts need fnot'be lubricated `since-the lubricant may gbe `said to`be sealed in by 'the housings.

` A further object is to provide 'a device of "this character in whichVa diiferential is eliminated and substituted therefor lis a combinedbrake .and disk clutch mechanism, the disk clutch mechanism beingautomatically voperated 'by the steering mechanism in such Amanner, that`when a curve is 4being :turned thevwheel-s next to the curb=wil1bedisconnected-'from the powerand the outer wheels Willsupply the tractionto negotiate the turn.

A further `object is to `provide a device of this forward and in'reverse thus V'conserving `power' and minimizing wear `on tires. Y

A further object is toprovide a device of this character in whichbraking power Yis equalized atan times on the four wheelssotnatue bkescannot `become set harder on one wheel than on `the others. l l

A further-object is toprovide apparatus of this character which 'will bel'formedof a few stron-g, simple 'and durable parts, which .will 'beinex-v pensive tomanufacture, and whichLwillnot-easily get out o'forder. l

. With the above and 'other `objects .in view the invention'consists ofcertain novel details o'ffconstruction and combinations Iof partshereinafter fully described and claimed, it being understood thatvarious 4modifications 'may rloe yresorted to within the scope of theappended Lclaims without departing Vfrom Vthe vspirit Lor sacrifici-ngany of the advantages of the invention.

,In the accompanyingv -drawingsfomiing a .part of this specication:

. Figure v1 is Ava horizontal sectional -view 'of .a four wheel drive,clutch, brake, and steering mechanism lconstructed in vaccordance withthe invention.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional View taken on the line 2-2 ofFigure 1.

Figure 3 ,is a cross sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure '4fis a cross 'sectionalview taken on-fthe line 4 4 of Figure 2.

Figure A5 is a detail sectional view showing 'one of the lcombinedclutch and brake mechanisms in side elevation.

'Fi-gure 6 is across sectionalK view ofthe combinedclutch and? brakeImechanism `shown in Figuref5with the housing thereof removed.

*Referring new to the drawings in which 'like characters of referencedesignate similar parts inthe various views, `I0 designates a frontcylindrical housing and II designates a rear cylindrical housing, thefront housing being provided at the lends withsubstantially:semicircular caps l2 'and the 'rear housing 'beingprovided with semici-rcular caps VI 3 securedinposition by screws I4.The caps are provided with respective horizontal'slots |15 to-'permitthestu'b axles 't5 o'f the steering vllrriuckles Ilv swinging in vahorizontalS plane. The slots are sealed leak proof by arcuate kplates f8`secured to the stub 'axle l`1o'usings t9. The housings i0 and Il, yaswelles a housing '-20' having'diverging branches 21|, which housingconnects 'the 'front and the'rear housings IU and H', are all adapted tobe l-ledwith lubricant in sealed vin condition so that "a single supplyof lubricant will last indenitelyl The stub axles f6 o'fthe steeringknuckles are boltedpto the-disks 220i the front-ground wheels 23 and therear ground wheels Y2'4 to -turn the wheels when the knuckles areturned, `and the securing Vbolts are concealed by hub caps 25.

The housing 20 is connectedto the rear housing Ttby'aswiveljointi'nciuding a flanged disk 2G which'f'orms-a'closure in the rearend-of lthefhousinjgand is adapated toswivel inanannular bea-r4 ing v2!fixed tothe rear housing H, the -ange disk being confined in place 'byan annular retainer 2B of right angular cross section threadedly engagedwith the bearing 21, lsee Figure l.

.- This connection permits thewheelson either side ofthe chassisdroppingbelow or `rising above-the Wheels on the yother side oifthechassis tc conform l to slopes `and inequalities in the roadbed.

One of 'the branches 2l of the housing 20 houses a power transmittingshaft which' is geared as shown at 30 to the front axle 3l inthe housingI0 at the front end, and Which'isgeared as'shown jat 32'to a powertransmitting'shaft f33 whichis connectedat'the frontend to the motordriven propeller shaft 34, and which is geared at the rear end, as shownat 35 to the rear axle 36. Thus the front and rear axles are powerdriven, and being connected to the steering knuckles of both frontwheels and both rear wheels, respectively, in the usual manner, all fourwheels are power driven positively.

The conventional differential is dispensed with and in lieu thereof eachaxle is equipped with a combined disk clutch and brake mechanism shownin detail in Figures and 6. There are four of these mechanisms,controlling respective wheels. Each mechanism comprises multiple disks31 having a back plate 38 fixed to a driven section 39Vofthe respectiveaxles and `having a shiftable front plate'40 splined and vaxially mov-rable on the respective driving axles 3l and 36 and adapted for movementby a shipper 9 to frictionally interengage the disks 31 which aresplined to a conventional ange 44,' with each other and with the backplate 38, to move the clutch to in position.

usual manner. An annular brake band 42 lis provided with a leather orother lining 43 disposed upon .theusual ange 44-of ythe back plate 38 ofthe clutch, which forms the brake drum of the mechanism. vThe brake bandis pivoted at one end to the respective housing l0 or II as the case maybe, as shown at 45 and at the free end is engaged underneath a rock cam46 which is moved by a link 41 connected to the rocking brake rod 8 tocontract the brake band against pressure of a helical spring 48 to applythe brake when the disks of the clutch are partly or fully releasedagainst the pressure of a respective helical spring 49, see Figure l.,which is mounted on the respective front or rear-axle as the case maybe, and .tends constantly to hold--the clutch disks inv position bypressure against a stop collar 50 on the axle and a hub 5| ontheshiftable front plate 40.

. The rocking brake rods 8 carry the cams 46, of both front and rearbrakes and are mounted invsuitable bearings in the respective housings.Each rocking brake rod is moved by a respective pull rod 1, see Figures1, 2 and 5. The pull rods are connected to a rock lever 52 which iscentrally secured to a rock shaft 53 which is mounted in a bearing 54 onthe housing 20 and is provided outside the housing with a crank arm 55which is connected to a brake rod 56 adapted to be operated by asuitable brake pedal not shown.

As best shown in Figure 3 each steeringknuckle comprises upper and lowersections 51 and 58 having respective vertical gudgeons 59 and 60 whichare journaled in two part bearings 6| and 62. carried by the caps I2 andI3 of the front and rear housings I0 and Il. Thrust bearings 63 aredisposed between the two sections of the steering knuckles. The lowersection -of the steering knuckle is equipped with a crank arm 64, seeFigure 1, and the crank arms of both steering knuckles of the frontwheels, and of the rear wheels, are connected by endwisemovable tie rods65, respectively.

Each tie rod is provided with a respective rackv 66 which is engaged bya pinion 61 carried by a respective shaft 68, again see Figure 1, bothshafts being connected together by a universal joint 69. The shafts areturned in unison by a conventionalsteering gear which is geared to oneof the shafts as shown at 1 I.

- All four wheels are steered simultaneously.

However to negotiate curves it is desirable that. 1.

Retrograde movement of the shipper disengages the disk clutch in the thepower be disconnected from the wheels close to the curb or collar of theroadbed and for this purpose the steering mechanism is caused to control the clutches in such manner that the clutches of the outside wheelsremain connected to the power and the clutches of the inside wheels orwheels close to the curb or collar, are disconnected from the power. Forthis purpose the shipper 9 of each clutch is engaged by a respectivecollar y12lisposed between the free end of the rCSIeotlvelsljipper andthe respective clutch. Consequently when the respective tie rod is moved.endwise in one direction by manipulation of the steering gear one ofthe helical springs 49 will be 'compressedt'o release its clutch whilethe other will remain lundisturbed to permit its respective "clutchremainin'gin clutched position.

Since the operation of the parts has been described as the descriptionof the parts progressed it is thought the invention will be fullyunderstood withoutfurther explanation. j,

1. A f.our wheelv drivecomprising transverse front and rearaxlefhousings alongitudinal housing connected izo-:theiront and rearhousings, steeringL knuckles inthe front and rear housings, drivenstubaxles projecting from the respective steering knuckles, vehiclewheels fixed tothe stub axles, driven axles in the front and rearhousings, friction disk clutches on the axles for respective wheels,vbrake :means assembled with the clutches, spring means on the driven.axles normally holding the. clutches in clutched position, means fordeclutching the clutches, steering means inthe housings connected tothesteering knuckles, means connected to=the steering means fordeclutching both clutches of one pair of front and rear wheels while theclutchesof the other pair of front and rear wheels remain clutched, anddriving means in the housings connected to the driven axles.`

2. The structure as of .claim 1 `and in which the brake means comprisesa. anged backing plate foreach. diskclutch connected to therespectivedriven axle, .a brake band on the flange of the backing plate,.rock shafts connecting the pair of brake bands in each transversehousing, a cam on therock shaft engaging ,a respective brake bandfortightening the4 band, a crank arm on the shaft, and a pull rod connectedto the crank arm for rocking the rock shaft.

3. The structure as of claim 1 4and inwhich the spring meansjcomprises ayhelical spring sleeved on the driven axle undertension between arespective collar on the driven '.axle, and the splined' pressure platefor a respective disk clutch. 4. The structure as of claim I-"in whichlthe steering means comprises rcrank arms on the steering knuckles, tierods connecting the crank arms of each pair of steering knuckles havingrack teeth, a shaft in the longitudinal housing having a pinion engagingthe'rack teeth, and a. steering gearconnected to saidshaft.' 1 f 5. Thestructure as ofclaim 1 and' in Which'th driving means comprises a motordriven propellerv shaft entering-the longitudinal casing, and shafts inthe longitudinal casing geared' to the driven axles inthe front and rearhousings andgeared to the propellershaft.

REUBEN L., FARNSWORTH.

